Ishmael Chitiyo adores nature and was inspired by the balancing rocks in and around the Chitungwiza Arts Centre to come up with his own rendition on springstone.
The balancing rocks are geological formations found in several places like Seke, Zengeza in Chitungwiza and Epworth.
Balancing rocks are perfectly balanced geological formations without other support. As an example the Mother and Child balancing rocks are a well-known feature in Matobo National Park in Matabeleland.
Chitiyo's images explore various issues and he says his creative works are meant to lure international tourists to visit and make Zimbabwe their preferred holiday destination.
“I came up with an idea to design and carve abstract renditions of the balancing rocks and I call them the Balancing Big Sea. Balancing rocks are a common feature here in Chitungwiza and what moved me is the observation of the mighty hands of God which created these everlasting attractions,” Chitiyo said.
“These granite rocks which are asymmetrically balanced in most cases provoke a lot of thinking and some of them are in alterations of huge and small which adds to amusement. My desire is to come up with my own creative work which makes people see the beauty of the original and natural balancing rock formations.”
He added that his carvings taught people to make a self analysis of themselves. People often fail to strike a balance in their lives especially between their finances and aspirations, Chitiyo said.
“There are people who aim high and who spend more on flashy materials which do not stabilise their future income gains. In most cases, balancing up becomes difficult when a crisis emerges,” he said.
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“My advice is that people should live a balanced life through looking into their future and working hard to build more resources that make them have a secure life.”
Most of the balancing rocks in Chitungwiza and other towns are being destroyed and crushed into concrete for construction purposes. It is also widely noticeable that these surface granite formations, which are found on a vast land and at times in closed areas have not been preserved as tourist attractions.
Chitiyo has a gift of carving huge monuments on families and creative scenes that occur when people are fathered. At the time NewsDay Life & Style visited his garden, the artist was working on a fine art rendition of an image based on a picture of a royal girl in a sitting position.
“I started carving on springstone just after my high school in 1997 and throughout this time I just had silent admiration of balanced rocks. They spoke to me several messages and some of which I am still exploring.”
Chitiyo lifts his subjects and themes through showing cutaway views of the balancing rocks and polished shiny outer surfaces to make his engravement suitable for indoor and outdoor exhibitions.
